A2 • Wednesday, September 28, 2011 The Issaquah Press

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By Tom CorriganIssaquah Press reporter

In November, voters in KingCounty, including those inIssaquah, will be asked to choosefrom among four candidates hop-ing to serve as commissioners forthe Port of Seattle.

The port includes both the sea-port in downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac International Airport.According to the port’s annualreport for 2010, the port collected$75.6 million in property taxes in2009. The projection for 2010 was$73.5 million. Those collectionscome from all King County resi-dents, including those in Issaquah.

“The port is an economic enginefor the entire county, not just thecity of Seattle,” said Charla Skaggs,corporate media officer for theport.

Both Skaggs and other port offi-cials said thousands of jobs dependdirectly and indirectly on portoperations.

According to what is billed bythe port as an independent reportreleased in 2009, the port wasdirectly and indirectly responsiblefor 190,000 jobs in the Puget

Sound region. Port facilities gener-ated more than $17 billion in rev-enue for businesses who deal withthe port or the port tenants whooperate the maritime terminals. Allin all, those employers andemployees pay about $867 millionin state and local taxes.

Finally, the 2009 report statedthat more than 135,000 people areemployed at regional businessesthat have cargo moving throughthe Port of Seattle.

Skaggs talked about how plentyof Eastside companies depend onthe port for importing or exportinggoods and raw materials. She stat-ed port operations create a widevariety of jobs from the longshore-men who load and unload cargo tocruise ship employees. Accordingto Skaggs, an Issaquah residentretunes pianos on cruise ships thatstop at the port.

Port operations themselvesemploy about 1,600 people, saidPort Commission President BillBryant, one of two incumbent com-mission members up for electionthis year.

All in all, just from its maritimeoperations, Bryant said about70,000 families depend on the

port. Althoughhis opponent inthe upcomingelection dis-agrees, Bryantsaid those jobsare well-pay-ing, family-wage positions.He furtherargued the portis one of thetop five or sixjob creators in King County, rightup on the list with The Boeing Co.and Microsoft.

“I think the port is becoming anexample of an agency that can cre-ate jobs,” Bryant said.

“There is no doubt the port is acritical economic engine for theregion,” said Dean Willard, anIssaquah resident who is opposingBryant for the latter’s spot on theport commission.

Willard specifically said the portdoes not do enough to create liv-ing-wage jobs, but also was highlycritical of the port’s environmentalrecord.

“I have observed decisions thatare not transparent and not reflec-tive of local values,” Willard said,

adding thoselocal valuesinclude envi-r o n m e n t a l l ysound opera-tions.

B r y a n tsharply dis-agreed, arguingthe port’s envi-r o n m e n t a lrecord is anoth-er reason the

institution is important to votersand residents in the Puget Soundarea.

As one example of what hedefends as the port’s environmen-tal stewardship, Bryant pointed towhat ultimately becomes of con-taminated dredging materials theport removes from around its mar-itime facilities: He said the portlegally could dump those materialsinto Elliot Bay. Instead, the porttakes on the added expense of hav-ing the materials moved inland.

But Willard said an example ofhow the port has dropped the ballenvironmentally is its lack of atten-tion to problems with theDuwamish River. He said the portundoubtedly has a shared respon-

sibility for cleaning up the water-way.

For his part, Bryant agreed theport has some responsibility for theDuwamish, but said officials areliving up to the responsibility. Hesaid the port has supported a planto restore the river’s habitat,another environmental step hesaid the organization was notrequired to take.

Another voluntary environmen-tal move, according to Bryant,includes replacing outdated porttrucks with newer, more efficientmodels. By 2015, he said all porttrucks must meet certain EPA stan-dards.

Willard said Bryant and otherboard members consistently “talkthe talk, but fail to walk the walk.”

For example, he again arguedthe port’s efforts regarding theDuwamish are completely insuffi-cient. Willard backed a protestheld downtown Sept. 15 as thePort of Seattle was hosting theAmerican Association of PortAuthorities.

The group directly mounting theprotest is known as Puget SoundSage. Among other claims, thegroup charges seaport truck driv-

ers often are forced to work 10- to12-hour shifts while not receivinghealth benefits or sick time andearning about $28,500 a year.

The other port commission spoton the ballot this year currentlybelongs to Seattle resident GaelTarleton. Neither she nor chal-lenger Richard Pope, of Bellevue,responded to repeated requests forcomment.

Tom Corrigan: 392-6434, ext. 241, or tcor-rigan@isspress.com. Comment atwww.issaquahpress.com.

Port of Seattle race could shape region’s economic engine

Bill Bryant Dean Willard

King County Metro Transit rid-ers should prepare for changessoon as transportation plannersadjust routes between Issaquahand Seattle.

Issaquah routes receive someshuffling in the latest serviceplan from the mass transitagency. Under a service planstarting Oct. 1, Route 211 runsfrom hospital-dense First Hill inSeattle to the Issaquah HighlandsPark & Ride. Metro Transit is alsoadding trips departing First Hillfor the highlands at 3:05 and5:30 p.m.

Route 271 service is also due toincrease. Metro Transit is addingtrips on the route from theEastgate Park & Ride to theUniversity District. Riders canboard a Route 271 bus in down-town Issaquah.

The updated plan calls forbuses to arrive at the Eastgatecenter every 10 minutes —rather than every 20 minutes —from 6-6:30 a.m. on weekdays.Service frequency is also due toincrease throughout the day

and during the evening com-mute.

The agency is urging riders tocheck updated routes beforeboarding buses for the weekdaymorning commute Oct. 3.Issaquah riders transferringbuses in Bellevue should preparefor substantial changes afterMetro Transit rolls out the updat-ed routes and schedules.

County Council membersapproved the route changes andmore than 20 other adjustments

in May. County Executive DowConstantine proposed the over-haul to accommodate the launchof RapidRide buses. SomeEastside route changes reflectthe addition of the RapidRide BLine.

The red-and-yellow expressbuses offer service betweenBellevue and Redmond.

RapidRide is part of the TransitNow initiative adopted in 2006.The initial RapidRide linebetween Tukwila and FederalWay is popular among riders.

Extending Route 211 to thehighlands is possible due to apartnership between MetroTransit and the First HillTransportation Group — a con-sortium of Harborview, Swedishand Virginia Mason medical cen-ters.

Under the existing arrange-ment, Route 211 runs betweenFirst Hill and Eastgate.

Metro Transit updates routesand schedules three times peryear to improve service and meetbus riders’ needs.

WHAT TO KNOWKing County Metro Transitriders can learn more aboutroute and schedule changes inthe Special Rider Alertbrochure at Metro Online,www.kingcounty.gov/metro.Call Metro CustomerInformation at 206-553-3000to learn more.

Change comes to Issaquah bus routes Oct. 1 Minor earthquake shakesareas south of Issaquah

Seismologists recorded a magni-tude-3.2 earthquake south ofIssaquah last week, but the minortremor did not cause any damageor injuries.

University of Washington seis-mologists said the minor earth-quake occurred at 1:22 p.m. Sept.22. Scientists pegged the earth-quake’s epicenter near Lake Desirein rural King County, about eightmiles southwest of downtownIssaquah.

King County Sheriff’s Officedeputies did not respond to anycalls related to earthquake-relatedproblems or damage, spokesmanSgt. John Urquhart said.

Seismologists at the PacificNorthwest Seismic Network, basedat the UW, said the tembloroccurred about 15 miles beneaththe surface.

September is NationalPreparedness Month, and the stateEmergency Management Divisionconducted a statewide drop, coverand hold earthquake drill the daybefore the Lake Desire temblor.

The seismic activity came amonth after seismologists recorded

a minor earthquake beneathMirrormont on Tiger Mountain.The magnitude-2.8 earthquakeoccurred just before 1 a.m. Aug.18, about a mile beneath the sur-face.

Scientists said such small earth-quakes occur often, and do notindicate a looming, larger earth-quake.

Residents can comment onproposed highlands gas station

The city and Issaquah Highlandsdeveloper Port BlakelyCommunities plan to restart thediscussion next month about a pro-posed gas station in the hillsideneighborhood.

Citizens can comment on theproposal at a City Council publichearing at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3 in theCouncil Chambers at City HallSouth, 135 E. Sunset Way.

Before construction can proceedon a highlands gas station, thecouncil must amend the agreementbetween the city and Port Blakelyto allow such a facility in the neigh-borhood. The original agreementprohibits a highlands gas stationdue to concerns about possiblegroundwater contamination.

The proposed amendmentsunder consideration Oct. 3 addressenvironmental protection stan-dards and design expectations,and outline regulations, for a high-lands gas station.

The gas station proposal almostreached the council in December2009, but Port Blakely executivespulled the request at the lastminute.

Opponents claim a gas station isa poor fit in a neighborhood toutedas “green” and pedestrian friendly.In the past, proponents billed theproposed gas station as a cutting-edge “energy station” featuringalternative fuels and electric-vehi-cle charging stations.

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